This Is Where You Are
by Lady Henrietta
Summary: Season 3: A missing scene from Crossroads Part 1. After a talk with his son, Adama goes in search of Roslin and finds the need to resolve his feelings. AdamaRoslin


Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica belongs to Ronald D. Moore and the Sci-Fi channel. Partly inspired by a montage from culinarycricket and "Hundred" by The Fray. A missing scene from the episode, "Crossroads Part 1."

This Is Where You Are

Still wearing his suit from the trial earlier that day, Lee Adama entered his father's quarters. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

Admiral Adama had lost his patience with his son. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Roslin's the only one capable of governing the civilians. You've undermined their trust in her. What the frack were you thinking?"

Lee swallowed, immediately feeling defensive. "I thought I was pointing out what the people needed to know in order to make a fair decision about Baltar."

"The hell you were! How could you do that to her? You're her military adviser! Questioning her on the grounds that you did was a conflict of interest, considering I remember that it was you who pulled a gun on your fellow officers for her," the admiral growled.

"I didn't know, and maybe I should've asked before the trial, but that's not why we're having this conversation. You're just angry that I'm more like my grandfather than you ever wanted me to be. You left me his fracking law books!" Lee retorted.

Adama took a deep breath, not looking at his son. "Your grandfather and I couldn't see eye to eye because in all the criminal cases he handled, with all the scum he dealt with, he lost his humanity. I've done things I'm not proud of, but at least I can say that I've tried to do the right thing."

"That sounded like something Roslin would say. You're afraid I'm becoming like him," Lee commented.

The admiral rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm afraid you'll lose yourself in this and you won't have any allies when it's over."

Leaning on his hands at his father's desk, the younger man met his father's stare. "I'm doing what I think needs to be done. I'll never be like you, and I wasn't supposed to be! Zack was more like you and with Kara gone too, you're still trying to fill the gap with me!"

Adama stood and roared back at him. "Don't you dare bring them into this like that. What you did in that courtroom was wrong."

"According to you," Lee snapped.

"Dammit Lee! I know you're angry at me, but you've turned this trial into a vendetta for Kara and a vendetta against me. It wasn't Laura's fault, and you made her pay for your grief. By dragging her into your problems, you've caused more trouble than you can understand. This trial is already threatening to divide the fleet!" Adama declared.

The younger man failed to notice the slip of the president's first name. "That's not my problem!"

"The hell it isn't!" the admiral argued.

"You didn't bring me here to talk; you're trying to talk me out of what I think is right!" he spat as he stormed out of his father's quarters.

Angry at himself as well as his son, Adama decided to see if the president was alright. She had forgotten that he had phoned to say that he was coming in her midst of trying to organize files and study the shambles of the prosecution's perspective for the continuing trial. "I came to see how you were holding up," he relayed, stepping into the room.

_The how I can't recall  
But I'm staring at  
What once was the wall  
Separating east and west  
Now they meet amidst  
The broad daylight_

"I had a press conference to discuss my… situation, which could have gone better. And I think my aide isn't running on all cylinders lately. She was short with the press, and she looks like she hasn't slept in days," she expressed as she stood.

"Maybe the trial's just getting to her," he offered.

_So this is where you are  
And this is where I am  
Somewhere between  
Unsure and a hundred_

"Bill," she began. He looked over at her and saw her pensive expression, then she started pacing. "I've been thinking about why the Cylons wanted to give Baltar back to us."

He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "They probably got tired of him," Adama attempted to make a joke.

_Its hard I must confess  
I'm banking on the rest to clear away  
Cause we have spoken everything  
Everything short of I love you_

Roslin let a small laugh slip through. "That's possible," she paused and her expression turned serious again. "I think they knew exactly what they were doing. This trial is causing chaos everywhere. I just got word that people have been asking Baltar for blessings! No matter what the verdict is, having him here is chipping away at humanity." She sighed heavily. "I should've listened to you and just airlocked him."

_You right where you are  
From right where I am  
Somewhere between  
Unsure and a hundred_

Adama shook his head. "No, you were right. As mixed up as this is getting, he needs a trial. I just wish Lee would get his head on straight. I'm sorry about-"

She put a hand up dismissively. "You tried to stop him. Now he has to live with what he has exposed," she paused and faced a window, "as do I, as do we all."

_And who's to say its wrong  
And who's to say that it's not right  
Where we should be for now_

He was not certain as to why, but something about her looked as though she could use a neck rub. He followed his train of though, gently massaging her neck and shoulders. "I should be heading back soon so you can get some sleep," he told her.

When she placed her hands on top of his, he thought that she wanted him to stop. But she held his hands in place before he could draw them back. "Take me with you," she whispered. "Take me anywhere but here. I'm tired of this place, and I'm tired of what we'll be facing tomorrow. Would it be alright if I stayed on _Galactica_ tonight?"

_So this is where you are  
And this is where I am  
So this is where you are  
And this is where I've been  
Somewhere between  
Unsure and a hundred_

They faced each other and he smiled. "Like I told you before, 'you're always welcome in one of my beds.'"

She giggled and took his arm as he led her to the raptor. After they had boarded it, he took one look back at her ship. "Did you happen to leave your aide a message?"

"I'll call her in the morning," Roslin replied.

On the way to his quarters they walked in comfortable silence. When she was seated on his couch, her jacket draped over a chair and her shoes over by an end table, he offered her a drink. She shook her head. "Thank you, but no. It doesn't mix well with- I would like some water though if you don't mind."

He handed her the water and sat to her right, already knowing what she had omitted. She stared out at the wall as she drank the cool liquid, not looking at anything in particular. He could see the wall that she was attempting to maintain, but things needed to be said and he knew exactly what could demolish the wall. "Laura," was all he said.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. "I never wanted to go through it again. I don't want to do this. Nausea, pain, and hallucinations, just like the first time. Bill, I don't think I was meant to see Earth."

A single tear slid down her cheek. He reached over and gently brushed it off with his thumb. But his hand did not leave her face. He cupped her cheek in his left hand. "I recall having a discussion with you about not giving up hope," he paused and their eyes locked. "I intend to make sure you don't give up."

"Oh? And just how do you plan to do that?" she asked with a smirk.

He closed the distance between them and kissed her lightly. She kissed him back and then he wrapped his arms around her while he continued speaking. "There are things that need to be said. I almost let you go the first time without telling you." He kissed the top of her head. "I won't make the same mistake twice."

She turned to face him, still sitting in his embrace. "Bill, the rumors-"

"Can take a back seat. I love you, and I'm not going to let you face this alone," he interjected.

A warm feeling of what she had decided was hope filled her as she smiled back at him. "I love you too Bill, very much."

He captured her lips with his and kissed her soundly. They broke apart to breath and rested their foreheads together. "I've got something else too," he relayed.

She smirked and eyed him incredulously. "You mean there's more to your plan?"

As he nodded, he chuckled softly. "I intend to spend as much time as possible with you. We don't know what could happen to either of us tomorrow, and that's why I want to marry you."

Pulling back from him, her eyes widened in shock. "But the press… and good grief, the fleet-" she stammered.

He covered her hands with his and smiled calmly. "No one else needs to know. All I have to do is talk to one priest and we can be married secretly."

_And who's to say it's wrong  
And who's to say that its not right  
Where we should be for now_

Standing, he disappeared into his bedroom, leaving her to process what he had just told her. This conversation was not the one she had been expecting. She thought that they would discuss her treatments and how he could help the government recover after she was gone. Yet a small part of her wanted to feel safe and happy again, no matter how brief those feelings might end up being.

When he returned, she noticed something enclosed in his fist. He rejoined her and opened his hand to reveal a simple thin gold chain with a small ruby in the shape of a teardrop on the end. "For some reason, my mother thought that I should get the family heirlooms after she died. I recently found an old jewelry box. I know it's not a ring, but for secrecy you can just leave it under whatever shirt you're wearing," he mentioned.

She let him put the necklace on her and when he looked back at her face, he could see tears again, but this time they were not from grief or pain. "Okay," she whispered, "I'll marry you."

_So this is where you are  
And this is where I am  
So this is where you are  
And this is where I've been  
Somewhere between  
Unsure and a hundred_

That night he took the couch while she slept in his rack. She left early so that the rumor mill could be kept at bay. The trial went as planned, with both sides digging barbs into each other and trying to pull the rug out from under their witnesses. At the close of the day Adama caught up with Roslin. Tory had left her side, claiming that she did not feel well.

The admiral and the president headed to his quarters. As he opened the hatch, Roslin noticed the priest waiting. "You understand the need for secrecy in this matter," Adama said to the priest as he closed the hatch.

"Of course. Shall we begin?" the priest remarked, opening his book.

The ceremony was brief and the priest left quietly at its close. Roslin walked over to the phone and told Tory that she would be staying in _Galactica's_ guest quarters, asking the aide to bring her an extra suit for the following day. As she hung up the phone, she felt a familiar pair of hands on her shoulders. "This is going to be an interesting secret to keep, and an especially difficult one when Tory starts behaving like herself again," Roslin commented.

He stopped massaging her neck and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned back and he kissed her cheek. "This is a secret I'm going to enjoy keeping," he whispered into her ear, "because I can call you Mrs. Adama when it's just the two of us."

She faced him and smiled warmly. "Whether it's a hundred years or a second, I'm glad that I'm here with you," she conveyed before they shared an affectionate kiss.

_So this is where you are  
And this is where I am  
Somewhere between  
Unsure and a hundred_

Fin...


End file.
